Season 7 NL Predictions

NL Projections and Postseason Predictions

NL East - (1) Scranton Blue Collars (2) Dover Diamond Devils (3) New York Nightmares (4) Pawtucket Pencil-Necked Geeks

The division with the two top teams in the NL as usual is a tough one to predict. Both Scranton and Dover finished in the top 5 in the NL in hits, Average, SLG, and OPS. In runs, RBI's, and OBP they took the top two spots, with Dover getting the slight edge in each. Pitching was basically the same, but Scranton had the better staff, taking the top spot in team era, whip, and most importantly...Wins. As far as fielding goes.... that category belongs to Dover. As a team, Dover only committed a total of 89 errors. The next closest team in the NL is New York who as a team committed 105. Season 7 shouldn't be much different as both Dover and Scranton have nearly identical rosters from a season ago. The main players from last season are all still there. Dover brought in Bruce Morton, while Scranton only added backup catcher, Brad Shields. Scranton lost SP Blaine Rogers to Free Agency, but as you might recall, Rogers ended the season on the DL due to knee surgery and didn't even pitch in the Postseason and Scranton didn't seem to miss him at all. Dover on the other hand went out and got Bill Barfield in the Free Agent market, signing him to a contract worth $80 mil over the next five years. Barfield takes Steve Riley's spot in the rotation, who statistically, was Dover's weakest starting pitcher in season 6. It appears that Riley will now come out of the bullpen. The easiest thing to do here would be to say that Dover and Scranton with take the top two spots in the NL East. Unquestionably, Dover improved its team in the offseason more than Scranton, but Scranton really didn't need much Improvement. Sticking with the Champs, look for Scranton to repeat as the division winner, but this race could come down to the very last game. Mark your calendars for when Scranton visits Dover to finish out the regular season.

New York is much improved, and will definitely win more games this season, which may bring down the win totals of Dover and Scranton. The signing of super-stud pitcher Pepe Seguignol will be responsible for most of the improvement, however, until Dover and Scranton make drastic changes, New York will have to settle for third place in this division. Pawtucket should also see a slight improvement due to the signing of free agent pitcher Adrian McGuire, but this team lacks a leader in the line-up and a pure hitting run producer. In season 6 Pawtucket was dead last in both runs and rbi's, and was near the bottom in team average and on base percentage.

NL North - (1) Chicago Orphans (2) Minnesota North Stars (3) Vancouver Spidermonkeys (4)Detroit Renaissance

The Chicago Orphans will win their fourth consecutive NL North Title, but it should be a much tighter race than last year. The Orphans were among the leaders in the NL in nearly every major offensive category in season 6, however both Larry Cannon and Marvin Stark, who each hit over .300 and had 30+ HR's and 100+ RBI's are playing elsewhere this season. Stark is still looking for work, and Cannon was traded to Portland for prospects. The offense will still be potent, with rookie Julian Saturria, a full season from Eric Clark and the return of season 5 Rookie of the Year, B.J. Lawton who missed 90 games in season 6.

Right behind Chicago will be the Northstars. The Northstars have added some key players to help score more runs, including future star Carl Sanders who could be a solid hitter for a long time if only his fragile frame can withstand the rigorous Major League schedule. Season 6 was somewhat of a disappointment for rookie Rigo Rodrigo, but look for him to rebound in season 7 to become a top Shortstop. The hitting will improve, pitching is better, and the Northstars just might hit the .500 mark for the first time in franchise history.

Vancouver and Detroit will make up the bottom two in the NL North. The Spidermonkeys won 84 games in season 5, but dropped down to only 70 wins in season 6. The likely result was that run production slipped in season 6 and team era and whip went up which lead to nearly 50 more runs scored against them. The offense, lead by Craig Wood and Jumbo Richardson, should remain steady, but with a few players gone, and no new bats help, run production could see a slight decrease once again. Willie Conine should help the rotation a bit, and the hope is that Pose and Winchester can improve, but judging from the past, a sub 5.00 team era in not likely. If less runs are scored, even with a slight improvement in runs allowed, the result won't be more wins. A 14 game drop in wins like what happened from season 5 to 6 probably won't happen, but it could 10 games, leaving the Spidermonkeys at around 60 wins in season 7.

Detroit Renaissance will likely take last again. However, the renaissance should be inline for improvement in future seasons. Manager Kramr10 has been more active this season than in years past. He has unloaded nearly 16 million in salary, leaving his season 8 payroll at less than 40 million. With a few key additions possibly from the free agent market, and many top prospects getting prepared in the minors, Detroit has a bright future.